YTB Travel Network welcomes Sandals to its growing list of vendors to host yet another Sale-A-Thon Tuesday night June, 7 2011. I’m particularly pumped about this Sale-A-Thon for two reasons. One – it consists of white sandy beaches and warm turquoise waters in the Caribbean. And two, Sandals happens to be a true leader in “Eco-Friendly” vacations in our industry.

If you’ve participated in one of the many other Sale-A-Thon events we’ve hosted with other partners in the industry, you know how easy this is to participate. The live broadcast starts at 7:00 PM Eastern and 6:00 PM Central time. Just hit our booking engine, and you’ll find a link to the webcast to view on your computer.

Once there, you’ll find exclusive Sandals deals and specials, and you’ll be able to learn a little about Sandals with a pretty cool trivia game that we play on Facebook. (You could even win a prize if you participate and answer correctly!) Past Guests and YTB Travel Agents alike have been sending in pictures and testimonials of their Sandals experience that will be showcased during the webcast.

Very cool for firsthand accounts of what a Sandals All-Inclusive is all about.

I mentioned at the top of this article that Sandals has implemented environmentally-friendly practices throughout its properties. They started with Negril Beach Resort & Spa back in 1998 and it was so successful, they’ve expanded the practice to all their properties in the Caribbean. Negril was the very first all-inclusive resort to earn the Green Globe Certification at the time, and in 2008, Sandals Negril achieved the highest possible level of certification (Platinum), becoming the first and only hotel in the world to do so.

Currently all Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts have been Green Globe Certified and the effort has reduced their average resources dramatically. According to SRI (Sandals Resorts International) they’ve seen savings achieved by a 40 percent reduction in water, 55 to 60 percent reduction in waste, and a 40 percent reduction in energy.

That’s good for Sandals and good for the Caribbean.

Suppliers and business partners have also adopted environmentally friendly practices in order to continue to do business with the resorts. Those who change and adapt remain on Sandals preferred vendor list. Those who don’t conform are replaced with someone else who understands the importance of preserving the Caribbean which Sandals calls home. The concept and desire for a more sustainable future has spread. Nestle, a preferred supplier of Sandals for example, no longer books events with conference venues who don’t meet sustainability policies or assist in reducing their carbon footprint. All because the folks at Sandals showed them there was a better way.

If you’re looking for a “green vacation” with all the pampering and luxury you want, you can’t go wrong with Sandals.

To find out more about their properties and why they call them ultra-inclusive vacations where luxury is included tune in tomorrow night to find out. You just might find a perfect vacation for the family at one of their Beaches resorts, or a romantic getaway for two at Sandals.

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Before we had kids – Ronda and I went on a number of Valentine’s Week cruises. Our last cruise during this week was in 2003, when Ronda was pregnant with Brian. An eight day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Legend.

If you think cruising is romantic – you really should try it during Valentines. There’s nothing like it. We would do it again in a snap, but with the kids in school now it’s just not an option – for now. Oddly enough, leaving a bowl of food and water in the corner while we whisk off on another cruise getaway doesn’t cut it according to Ronda.

Let’s face it. It’s cold outside and we’re thinking of some place warm. With the way this winter has hit everyone with snow, it’s probably more prevalent than in years past.

BandBVacations.com, YTB Travel Network, and Carnival Cruise Lines can help you out with those winter blues with a Winter Warm-up Sail-A-Thon right from the comfort of your own home.

Carnival and YTB was the first to offer this type of free webinar several years ago – and they’ve been a huge hit with clients, agents, and Carnival. I’ve lost count on how many we’ve done with them – but it’s super easy to do for them, and super easy for you to participate. Just hit our booking engine tomorrow night.

It all starts at 7:oo pm – 6:00 pm Central. YTB Travel Network President Kim Sorensen will also be interacting on Facebook with trivia questions and posting cruise pictures on his fan page. The broadcast will re-air each hour during the evening, so if you miss it at 7:00 pm, you can catch it again at 8:00 – 9:00 – 10:00 and 11:00.

This is a great time of year to be booking a cruise for the summer. Carnival has an Early Saver program that can save hundreds on the cost of a cruise.

Prior to launching year-round Caribbean service from Galveston, Carnival Magic will operate a series of seven-, nine- and 12-day Mediterranean voyages from Barcelona May 1 to Oct. 16, 2011; followed by a 16-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to Galveston departing Oct. 28, 2011.

These European cruises will be going fast on this brand new ship – so if you’re looking for Europe, you’ll need to do it now.

If Europe isn’t your thing; Carnival has 19 ports they sail out of and 23 ships that are currently sailing this year. (The most in the industry.)

If you want to warm up and get yourself out of the winter blues – this is just the ticket.

Join us tomorrow night for this Winter Warm-up Sail-A-Thon and book what we consider is the best vacation money can buy!

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Yes, prices went up today with Carnival, and I suspect we’ll see more increases with other travel packages during the year. There are some very real indications that the travel industry as a whole is experiencing growth once again.

That doesn’t mean that very real and substantial deals can’t be had however.

YTB Travel Network has partnered with Pleasant Holidays once again to offer substantial savings (up to $500 per booking) to some very exotic and attractive destinations. The live webcast will air right here on your computer tomorrow night, March 23rd, simply by clicking on the link found on BandBVacations.com. It all starts at 8:00 Eastern, with a rebroadcast again at 9:00PM and 10:00PM Eastern Standard Time. Phone lines will be open from 8:00 to 11:00PM Eastern toll free at 866-400-9382.

This is the perfect opportunity to invite friends, and family over to see if something might fit for their next vacation. What could be better than a tropical getaway to Hawaii, Mexico, Fiji, Tahiti, Moorea, or Bora Bora? You really need to see these exotic properties during this Sale-a-Thon to see how incredible these sale prices really are.

To give you a heads up on what kind of specials we’re talking about here Pleasant Holidays has produced a number of fliers for you to take a look at.

And here they are:

Special savings to Fiji – $500 savings per booking.

• Your vacation Includes: Air from Los Angeles on Air Pacific, meet & greet with shell lei, round trip Airport transfers, 7 nights’ accommodations at Sonaisali Island Resort Fiji, Beachfront room, two FREE nights, breakfast daily, complimentary welcome cocktail, free jungle cruise per person, special invitation to the General Manager’s Monday cocktail party, one scuba pool splash per person, FREE kids club & Travel Protection Plan.

Special savings to Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora – $500 savings per booking.

• Vacation Includes: Air from Los Angeles on Air Tahiti Nui, round trip inter-island air on Air Tahiti, Round trip airport transfers, 7 nights’ accommodations at Le Meridien Tahiti, Garden View room, two FREE nights & Travel Protection Plan.

Special savings to Hawaii – Free Hertz Rental Car.

• Free Hertz rental car with a minimum 5 night stay on the island of Oahu, Kauai, Maui, or Hawaii’s Big Island for travel through 3/31/10; 5/1 – 5/31/10; 9/1 – 12/15/10. Save $100 on a Hertz car rental with a minimum 5 night stay for travel from 4/1 – 4/30/10 & 6/1 – 8/31/10.

Special savings to Mexico – $100 savings per booking.

• Vacations Includes: round trip air from Chicago and 3 night accommodations to Cancun, Riviera Maya, Puerto Vallarta, and Los Cobos starting from just $262 for new bookings made through May 1, 2010.

One of the nice features about these webinars is that it’s designed to educate you with the best, most knowledgeable Managers Pleasant Holidays has to offer. They know their business better than anyone and can offer tips and insight on just how and why you need to take advantage of these special deals with them compared to someone else.

So check out Pleasant Holidays for your next vacation – they’re one of the largest tour operators in the business with destinations to Mexico, Costa Rica, Las Vegas, Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific.

Hope to see you then!

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I received my ASTA SmartBrief this week and was floored at one of the columns highlighted in this week’s mailing.

Before I move forward, I need to put out some sort of warning here that readers should not be drinking any type of liquid at this point in time. (All the sugar in your Kool-Aid will ruin the monitor and cause the keyboard to stick.) When you find out who the author is, you’ll be just as surprised as I was. (As others have asked if this is the same now famous critic of YTB we’ve all come to know – but not actually love.)

Truth is, if there’s anything going on about YTB, you’ve got to know at this point in time that John Frenaye isn’t far behind. He’s pretty famous in our company for trolling the internet on anything YTB. It makes no difference if it’s one of his peers in the industry, a District Judge, an industry Power List, or an articulate member of YTB – John has an uncanny way of coming up with a “Yeah-But” or a “Look over here” piece to take the focus off the main subject and point you down a road that conforms to his own perceptions and beliefs.

Although this article is riddled with some pretty absurd perceptions of how MLM takes things to the extreme, you can judge from you own actions and experience if it has any value. Personally, I’ve never lost a friendship over YTB and nobody’s ever vowed to never speak to me again. Furthermore, I’ve never been approached by anyone about any opportunity while standing in line at that grocery store.

We can simply kick those perceptions to the curb for the time being.

I do however, have to give John some credit for pointing out some very basic and solid business skills that MLM does in fact excel at. Based on my own experience with YTB, my business looks very much like his “traditional business” in every aspect. Based on those of you I personally know in this company, I think you’ll agree that yours does too.

All the snide and exaggerated comments and perceptions aside – there is something for the new recruit here to learn about why MLM works.

Referrals are as simple as John says they are. Do you know anyone who might be interested in selling travel, or picking up some extra income on a part time basis? The beauty of MLM is that you work when you have time. It’s not like a regular part time job that you have set hours, and quotas that you need to meet. Which can also be a problem for some. It’s far too easy to think that you don’t have the time. The vast majority of our company work YTB on a part time basis with regular jobs and families to tend to.

Think about it…doesn’t asking for referrals sound much more attractive than hounding someone in line at the grocery store? (Who’s really tried that anyway?)

When it comes to follow-up, the company has a very cool system in place called the YTB System. I’ve used something similar to this my entire carrier with YTB. Not only does it capture qualified leads for you, but also notifies you when a prospect has looked at the program. Notifications are also sent when they’ve returned and what they’re looking at while on the site. Using a system like this allows you to sort, not chase. For those who work YTB part time, this puppy is a real time saver. You’ll find yourself working with and talking to qualified prospects who are truly interested in what you have.

It’s all about working smarter not harder. However, the entire system is wasted if you don’t follow-up. It doesn’t have to be nearly the nine times John talks about. (I personally only spend half that much time before moving on.) But the money truly is in the follow-up.

Lastly, I’ve never seen a company with more products, or more streams of income than YTB. All I bought 5 years ago was a booking engine to sell travel. I was also given the opportunity (meaning it was a free opportunity) to sell booking engines as an added stream of income. Today, I’ve got something for hunters, golfers, newlyweds, and with the addition of shopYTB, just about any other product under the sun. If it’s available online, I probably have it. Heck, I’ve even got beef jerky if that’s what you’re into. (Or in John’s case – girdles!)

Yes, I know there some ribbing going on about that sort of thing. Honestly, neither the jerky nor the girdles get me all that excited. But I’m certainly not going to knock the women of YTB for going nuts about girdles. (I know better – and if John was still married, he probably would too.)

These skills, principles, and the model really DO work. It’s why Avon is still around after more than 120 years. It’s the same reason Earl Tupper pulled Tupperware off store shelves in 1951 and has been sold via the MLM and the Direct Sales model for almost 60 years. After a decade of selling Nutrilite Products via MLM, two guys founded the American Way Association in 1959, which we know today as Amway. (Amway now owns Nutrilite Products Corporation.) In 1963 Mary Kay Ash started with 9 “beauty consultants” which today has expanded to 32 countries. In 1977 a good ol’ southern boy for Georgia founded A.L. Williams and just two years later, J. Lloyd Tomer joined the group just before the company outsold the entire insurance industry for 7 straight years in a row during the mid to late 1980′s.

And today you have a little company based in Wood River, Illinois who has been able to sell $424 million in travel in its 8th year in business.

There are hundreds of companies who sell via this model because MLM does have it right. (Take a look at the DSA list for more than 200 of them.)

True, it’s sad that John and others can’t seem to get out of their own way at times when it comes to some of the ridiculous and outlandish beliefs. Just remember, don’t take it personally. (Unless you’re the one person who pestered him in the grocery line. ;-P)

Truth is, MLM is more like their traditional business than they’ll ever know.

The only difference is some get that, and some don’t.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

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